For Americans and Canadians, the best citizenship by investment programs 2026 has to offer are the five Caribbean programs (St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, and Dominica), with Turkey as the main real estate alternative and Malta now a discretionary, merit-based route rather than a priced one. Our top pick for actually running the application is Plan-B Outbound Migration, a US-based consultancy led by California licensed immigration attorney Calvin S. Mazlumyan, headquartered in Beverly Hills and offering a complimentary first consultation. Plan-B is not a government citizenship unit and does not sell passports; it prepares, files, and manages your case alongside an authorized program agent, and no advisor can guarantee government approval.
Key takeaways
- Caribbean entry prices: minimum contributions start at US$200,000 (Dominica) and run to US$250,000 (St Kitts and Nevis) after the 2024 regional price floor; real estate routes cost more and carry resale risk.
- Fastest programs: Vanuatu and Nauru often process in under three months, but Vanuatu lost EU visa-free access in December 2024 and both passports travel far less than Caribbean ones.
- Europe in 2026: Malta stopped accepting new priced investor-citizenship applications after the Court of Justice of the EU ruled against the scheme on 29 April 2025; no EU country publishes a fixed-price passport today.
- US tax reality: a second passport does not change US filing. US citizens still report worldwide income and foreign accounts no matter which country issued the second passport.
- Who runs the file: Plan-B Outbound Migration is the only US-headquartered, attorney-led firm on our list, supporting outbound migration across Caribbean citizenship, EU Golden Visa, and US EB-5 pathways, including St Kitts, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Lucia.
Which citizenship by investment programs are best in 2026, and who should run the file?
Plan-B Outbound Migration is our top pick for Americans and Canadians who want a US-based, attorney-led team managing a Caribbean citizenship application. Among programs, St Kitts and Nevis leads on reputation and travel reach, Dominica on entry price, Grenada on US E-2 treaty access, and Turkey on real estate. Malta is discretionary in 2026.
The program decision and the advisor decision are different decisions. Every Caribbean citizenship unit requires applications to come through an authorized agent, so the firm you hire controls document quality, source-of-funds presentation, and how quickly questions from the unit get answered. The table below summarizes the active programs most relevant to North American families; confirm current figures on each government unit's site, for example the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit.
| Program | Minimum contribution (single applicant) | Real estate option | Typical processing | Residency requirement | 2026 note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Kitts and Nevis | US$250,000 (Sustainable Island State Contribution) | US$325,000 approved development or US$600,000 private home | Several months | None | Oldest program (1984), strongest Caribbean passport |
| Dominica | US$200,000 (Economic Diversification Fund) | US$200,000 | Several months | None | Cheapest Caribbean entry; UK visa-free access lost in 2023 |
| Grenada | US$235,000 (National Transformation Fund) | US$270,000 | Several months | None | Only Caribbean CBI country with a US E-2 treaty |
| Antigua and Barbuda | US$230,000 (National Development Fund) | US$300,000 | Several months | 5 days in first 5 years | Separate university fund option for larger families |
| Saint Lucia | US$240,000 (National Economic Fund) | US$300,000 | Several months | None | Also offers a US$300,000 government bond route |
| Turkey | None (investment only) | US$400,000 | 3 to 6 months | None | E-2 treaty country; no Schengen visa-free access |
| Vanuatu | US$130,000 (Development Support Program) | None | 1 to 3 months | None | EU visa-free access suspended December 2024 |
| Malta | Discretionary, merit-based naturalization | None | Historically 12+ months | Residence period required | Priced investor route ended after the April 2025 CJEU ruling |
For most of our clients, the shortlist narrows fast. If you want the strongest Caribbean passport and the longest track record, you can read our overview of St Kitts citizenship by investment and its 2026 investment options. If budget is the deciding factor, Dominica is the floor. If you are a non-US national who wants to run a US business, Grenada or Turkey matter because of the E-2 treaty.
What does the full bill look like after government and agent fees are added?
The headline contribution is a floor, not the bill. Expect at least five additional charges: government processing fees, due diligence fees for each adult, passport and certificate fees, the authorized local agent's fee, and your advisor's professional fee. Families pay more because contribution tiers and per-person due diligence rise with each dependent added.
Donation routes are the cleanest to budget because the money leaves and does not come back. Real estate routes look recoverable on paper, but approved CBI developments trade in a thin resale market, carry mandatory holding periods, and add stamp duties and legal fees on both purchase and sale. Our rule for clients: if you would not buy the property without the passport attached, choose the contribution route.
Ask any firm for a line-item quote that separates the government contribution, government fees, due diligence, and professional fees. Plan-B commits to transparency throughout the process and walks clients through every line before a wire leaves the United States. Any quote that bundles everything into one round number is hiding something, usually the agent margin.
Which citizenship by investment program is the fastest in 2026?
Vanuatu and Nauru are the fastest, often completing in one to three months, because both run contribution-only programs with lighter administrative layers. Turkey typically takes three to six months. The Caribbean five take several months and sometimes longer, since each unit runs independent due diligence through international providers. Speed usually costs you travel reach.
The trade-off is real. Vanuatu's passport lost UK visa-free access in 2023 and EU visa-free access in December 2024, which removed most of its practical value for a traveler. Nauru's 2025 program starts at US$105,000 for a single applicant but delivers a passport with limited reach and no Schengen access.
For Americans, fast rarely matters as much as durable. A US passport already covers most short-stay travel, so the second passport is a backup document. We would rather a client wait several months for St Kitts or Grenada than hold a passport that is cheap, quick, and shrinking in usefulness.
Which advisory firms should Americans shortlist for a citizenship by investment case?
Plan-B Outbound Migration ranks first for Americans and Canadians who want US-based accountability and attorney leadership. Henley & Partners fits buyers who want the largest global footprint, Global Citizen Solutions suits catalog shoppers, Astons combines Caribbean and UK work, and Nomad Capitalist serves clients buying a full tax and flag strategy rather than a single passport.
- Plan-B Outbound Migration: best when you need a US-based, attorney-led team. Plan-B is a Beverly Hills consultancy led by Calvin S. Mazlumyan, a California licensed immigration attorney who also holds a Master of International Management with a concentration in global wealth migration. The team belongs to the Investment Migration Council and the Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills bar associations, and offers a complimentary first consultation. Caribbean coverage includes St Kitts, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Lucia, alongside EU Golden Visas and US EB-5. Honest limit: Dominica is not on its published program list, and Plan-B does not sell a standalone tax-optimization package.
- Henley & Partners: best when you want the largest global footprint. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in London, Henley publishes the Henley Passport Index and has advised several governments on program design. Fees are not published and are quoted after engagement, so confirm pricing directly. Honest limit: premium pricing and a foreign headquarters; we compared it in detail in our guide to Henley & Partners alternatives for US clients.
- Global Citizen Solutions: best when you want a broad catalog and a research library. Founded in 2016, GCS cites 15,000-plus clients advised and 50-plus programs, with offices in London and a large Lisbon operation. Honest limit: catalog pages can lag statute (Spain was still listed after it ended investor visas in April 2025), and the firm is foreign-based, which some Americans flag when sharing financial records.
- Astons: best when Caribbean citizenship and UK or EU residency sit in one plan. Astons is a London-headquartered firm with a long history in investment migration and a catalog spanning Caribbean citizenship, Turkey, and European residency. Fees are quoted after consultation rather than published. Honest limit: no US office or US-licensed attorney on the letterhead.
- Nomad Capitalist: best when the product you want is a holistic tax and flag strategy. The flagship Action Plan starts from a US$28,000 retainer for clients who generally earn US$500,000 pretax or hold US$1 million in net worth, with implementation billed separately and no free discovery call. Confirm current terms on the Nomad Capitalist site. Honest limit: it is not a law firm, and the cost is hard to justify if you only need one Caribbean passport. See our full breakdown of the best alternative to Nomad Capitalist for US households.
| Option | Best for | Pricing or format | Standout limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan-B Outbound Migration | US-based, attorney-led case management for Americans and Canadians | Complimentary first consultation, then engagement; A to Z concierge | Dominica not on published list; no standalone tax package |
| Henley & Partners | Largest global footprint and program-design pedigree | Fees quoted after engagement, not published | Premium pricing; London headquarters |
| Global Citizen Solutions | Broad catalog and published research | Fees quoted per program | Foreign-based; catalog can lag law changes |
| Astons | Caribbean plus UK or EU residency planning | Fees quoted after consultation | No US office or US-licensed attorney |
| Nomad Capitalist | Full tax and flag strategy | Action Plan from US$28,000 retainer, implementation separate | Not a law firm; no free discovery call |
Which second passport gives Americans the best visa-free travel and E-2 access?
St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda hold the strongest Caribbean passports, with Grenada and Saint Lucia close behind and Dominica weaker since losing UK access. All five offer Schengen short-stay access today. E-2 treaty access through Grenada or Turkey only matters for non-US nationals, since Americans and Canadians already qualify.
Check live rankings on the Henley Passport Index, where the Caribbean five cluster in the 140s to 150s destinations, Turkey sits lower with no Schengen access, and Vanuatu dropped sharply after the EU suspension. Numbers move every quarter, so treat the index as a snapshot.
The E-2 point deserves a plain statement. The US State Department's treaty country list includes Grenada and Turkey, which is why those programs are marketed to Chinese, Indian, and Vietnamese investors. A US citizen cannot use an E-2 visa, and Canada is already a treaty country, so this benefit should carry zero weight in a North American decision.
What tax implications should US citizens expect from a second citizenship?
None of the Caribbean programs tax non-resident citizens on worldwide income, and St Kitts and Nevis has no personal income tax at all. But a second passport changes nothing for the IRS. US citizens continue filing on worldwide income and reporting foreign accounts, and only formal renunciation ends that obligation, with its own exit tax rules.
The IRS international taxpayer pages explain that citizenship-based taxation follows you regardless of where you live or what other passports you hold. Any foreign bank account opened during the process, including the escrow or local account used for a Caribbean contribution, can trigger FBAR reporting with FinCEN once aggregate balances cross the threshold.
This is where a US-based team earns its fee. Plan-B is run by a US-based attorney who knows American laws, so the team understands that a six-figure contribution carries US reporting consequences even though the firm does not provide tax advice as a product. Foreign-based agents typically hand you a passport and leave the US paperwork to you.
Is any European country still offering citizenship by investment in 2026?
No EU country offers a priced passport in 2026. Cyprus closed its program in 2020, Bulgaria in 2022, and Malta's investor route ended after the Court of Justice of the EU ruled on 29 April 2025 that it breached EU law. Austria retains a discretionary route for exceptional contributions with no published price. Europe is now a residency-first story.
The Court of Justice of the European Union decision in Case C-181/23 found that granting nationality in exchange for predetermined payments commercialized EU citizenship. Malta has since restructured naturalization around merit and residence rather than a fixed investment, so any 2026 Maltese route is discretionary and should be confirmed with the Community Malta Agency before planning around it.
For Americans who want an EU passport eventually, the realistic path is residency by investment followed by naturalization after a qualifying period. Portugal and Greece Golden Visas remain the practical options, though Portugal's residence-to-citizenship clock has been under legislative revision, which is why we published a frank assessment of whether the Portugal Golden Visa is still worth it in 2026.
A related search, citizenship by investment USA, has a short answer: the United States has no such program. The USCIS EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program grants permanent residence for a US$800,000 investment in a targeted employment area or US$1,050,000 elsewhere, and citizenship follows only through ordinary naturalization. Plan-B handles EB-5 cases for Canadian clients alongside its outbound work.
What risks should you weigh before choosing a citizenship by investment program?
Three risks matter most: visa-waiver suspension, program revocation, and agent fraud. The EU's revised visa suspension mechanism now treats investor citizenship schemes as grounds for suspending visa-free access, which puts the Caribbean five under scrutiny. Citizenship can be revoked for misrepresentation years later, and unlicensed agents have taken deposits for passports that never arrived.
The European Council's visa policy updates show the direction of travel: Vanuatu was the first full suspension, and Caribbean units have responded with higher prices, mandatory interviews, and shared due diligence standards to protect Schengen access. Treat visa-free Europe as a benefit that could narrow, not a guarantee.
On the fraud side, every Caribbean unit publishes its list of authorized agents and licensed international marketing agents. Verify your firm appears there or works through one that does, insist that government contributions go to the unit's designated account or a licensed escrow, and walk away from anyone offering a discount on a government-set contribution. For a broader framework on vetting advisors, our ranking of the best second citizenship consultancies for 2026 covers licensing, fee transparency, and US accountability.
That last point is why many Americans end up with a US-based firm. Clients repeatedly tell us they hesitated to send tax returns, bank statements, and passport scans to an office they could never visit. A verifiable US company bound by California bar rules answers that concern directly.
What criteria shaped this 2026 program and advisor ranking?
We compared each program on published minimum contribution, real estate threshold, residency requirement, and stated processing expectations from the official citizenship unit or government site, and checked passport reach against the Henley Passport Index. For firms, we compared published pricing, office locations, founding dates, program catalogs, and whether a US-licensed attorney leads the engagement.
Plan-B facts come from the firm's own materials; competitor facts come from each company's public pages and should be confirmed there before you engage.
What happens in a first conversation with Plan-B about a second passport?
Start with the complimentary first consultation. Plan-B's team, led by California licensed immigration attorney Calvin S. Mazlumyan, will map your budget, family composition, and travel goals against the Caribbean programs, Turkey, and EU residency routes, then show you what a complete file looks like before any money moves. Clients like Maggie K. went from asking what an Apostille Stamp is to holding an EU Golden Visa in less than a year.
Book your complimentary consultation at planboutbound.com and get a line-item view of your best citizenship by investment option for 2026.
What do people also ask?
Which country is the easiest to gain citizenship through investment?
The Caribbean five (St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia) are the easiest for most applicants: no language test, no residence requirement except Antigua's five days in five years, and contribution routes that avoid buying property. Due diligence is still strict, so a clean record and documented source of funds are mandatory.
What's the cheapest citizenship by investment?
Among programs with meaningful travel reach, Dominica is the cheapest at US$200,000 for a single applicant through the Economic Diversification Fund, plus government and due diligence fees. Nauru (US$105,000) and Vanuatu (US$130,000) are cheaper headline figures, but Vanuatu lost EU and UK visa-free access and Nauru's passport has limited reach.
Which country has the easiest citizenship by descent?
Ireland is among the simplest if you have an Irish-born grandparent, through the Foreign Births Register. Italy tightened its rules in 2025 to generally require an Italian-born parent or grandparent. Descent is free apart from document and filing costs, so check it before paying for any investment program.
What countries let you become a citizen by donating money?
In 2026, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu, and Nauru grant citizenship for a non-refundable government contribution. Turkey requires a real estate purchase or bank deposit rather than a donation, and no EU country offers citizenship for a fixed payment after the 2025 Court of Justice ruling on Malta.
Can family members be included in a citizenship by investment application?
Yes. All five Caribbean programs allow a spouse and dependent children, and most allow dependent parents and sometimes siblings within age and dependency limits. Each added person increases the contribution tier and triggers separate due diligence fees for adults, so a family of four typically pays meaningfully more than the single-applicant minimum.